CLEVELAND, July 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — University Hospitals (UH) and Parma Community General Hospital (Parma Hospital) have signed a letter of intent to officially explore an integration that will add Parma Hospital to the University Hospitals health system, officials announced Monday.

“We completed a very comprehensive process to evaluate potential organizations that could best support our mission to provide the highest quality of personalized health care to our patients and the communities that we serve,” said Terrence G. Deis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Parma Hospital. “It is our belief that University Hospitals is most compatible with that mission, our medical staff and the commitment to remain a vital resource for our extended communities.”

University Hospitals will work closely together with the Parma Hospital medical staff to ensure that their patients continue to receive the highest quality personalized care. It is anticipated that UH will bring investments and new services as a major benefit to the new agreement including expanding the presence of UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital that currently provides neonatal care at Parma Hospital. UH, with its nationally recognized academic medical center – UH Case Medical Center – will also provide strong clinical research, leading-edge technology, innovative practices and initiatives that will complement and grow Parma Hospital’s highly regarded medical programs. Additional commitments will bring programs from internationally recognized centers of excellence such as UH Seidman Cancer Center.

“Parma Hospital is a vital anchor institution in the communities that they serve,” said Thomas F. Zenty III, UH’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are honored to have the opportunity to support and share in their mission to provide the highest quality patient-centered care and to join with them and their physicians in advancing the vision of value-driven, affordable care.”

Parma Hospital employs 2,000 Northeast Ohio residents and has more than 500 physicians on its medical staff. Its care extends far beyond its six founding cities of Parma, Parma Heights, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Seven Hills and North Royalton. Becker’s Hospital Review consistently names Parma Hospital as among the top 100 best community hospitals and Consumer Reports named them among the top three safest hospitals in Northeast Ohio.

University Hospitals employs 18,000 Ohio residents and its health system includes 10 hospitals and 20 outpatient health centers located throughout the region. UH Case Medical Center is one of only 13 hospitals in the country to rank in 12 of the U.S.News & World Report specialties for best outcomes in complex medical cases. UH’s internationally recognized Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital consistently ranks among the best children’s hospitals in the nation.

Mr. Deis said an evolving health care industry has made it more challenging for independent hospitals throughout the country to prosper and grow.

“As an independent hospital, we – like many other independent hospitals – have faced increasing challenges and cost pressures that have made our mission more difficult to fulfill,” said Mr. Deis. “The possibility of this integration is exciting and holds an opportunity for significant and positive investments ensuring our long-term viability. As one of the most forward-thinking health care systems in the country, University Hospitals will provide extraordinary benefits immediately and for years to come.”

The evaluation process is expected to last several months and hospital leadership anticipates reaching a final agreement by the end of this year.

About Parma Community General Hospital

Parma Community General Hospital is a 332-bed acute care facility located in Parma, Ohio, Cleveland’s largest suburb. An independent community hospital, Parma Hospital has an independent medical staff of more than 500 members in more than 30 specialties. Its premier services include the Heart Center, Cancer Center, Acute Rehabilitation Center and Residential Hospice. Parma Hospital has been recognized nationally for its orthopedic program, its cardiovascular outcomes and its ICU. The quality rankings firm HealthGrades has recognized Parma Hospital as one of the top three hospitals in Ohio for coronary interventional procedures and among the top 10 in the state for cardiology services for 2013.

Parma Community General Hospital was founded in 1961 by the cities of Parma, Parma Heights, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Seven Hills and North Royalton, whose representatives wanted a local option for their residents. When the Hospital opened, it had six floors and 200 beds. The campus now includes a nine-floor main facility, four medical buildings and satellite facilities in Parma, Broadview Heights, North Royalton and Brooklyn. For more information, go to Parmahospital.org

About University Hospitals

University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of hospitals, outpatient centers and primary care physicians. At the core of our health system is University Hospitals Case Medical Center. The primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research centers of excellence in the nation and the world, including cancer, pediatrics, women’s health, orthopaedics and spine, radiology and radiation oncology, neurosurgery and neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, organ transplantation and human genetics. Its main campus includes the internationally celebrated UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women’s Hospital, Ohio’s only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University. University Hospitals Case Medical Center is the 2012 recipient of the American Hospital Association – McKesson Quest for Quality Prize for its leadership and innovation in quality improvement and safety.

For more information, go to UHhospitals.org

SOURCE University Hospitals